


Home(town) For Christmas

by Fire_Bear



Series: Walking in a Winter Wonderland [12]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Christmas, M/M, Returning Home, other things I don't want to tag for spoiler issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 07:46:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13119258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: Charlie's family was once poorer than they are now. He'd once been friends with the much poorer Eggsy but hasn't seen him for years, trying to forget the bond they'd once had.With his parents sorting out their old house, Charlie decides to return to see where he'd spent some of his life. All he has to do, he decides, is avoid Eggsy...





	Home(town) For Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This... became different than I intended. Ideas popped into my head and I changed what this was going to be like. 
> 
> For the better, I hope.
> 
> I honestly think this is more interesting than my original idea.

Before Charlie was born, his parents were disowned. They'd married each other against their families' wishes. With hardly any money (in comparison to what they'd once had), they'd taken out a mortgage on a decent house in a small town called Kingswood, just outside of London. His father set about trying to regain the fortunes they were used to living with while his mother raised him in the town with the other kids.

That was how Charlie met a boy called Eggsy. He lived in the rougher part of town. His family were toeing the poverty line but Eggsy was a cheerful little boy and had welcomed Charlie into his life. They'd become fast friends, despite how different they were. Eggsy saved Charlie from bullies, Charlie talked Eggsy up. Homework was easier when they did it together. Somehow, Charlie could never stop smiling while he was with his friend, though his parents didn't exactly approve.

Maybe that was why they never mentioned the move until, shortly after his 8th birthday, they told him he'd have to say goodbye to his friends. Apparently, not only had his dad been making more and more money and his mum actually working, they'd gone and won several million in the lottery. They had been so excited and so busy making plans that Charlie hadn't wanted to ruin it by protesting. The first person he'd told had been Eggsy.

"You're leavin'?!" Eggsy had exclaimed, clutching at his juice box.

"Yeah," Charlie had mumbled, pouting. "Don't want to."

"I don't wantcha to go!"

"Can't do anythin'," Charlie had pointed out.

Eggsy had pouted even more than Charlie had. "Then you gotta visit! And, when I get money, I'll come visit you, too! We can have fun then, right?"

Charlie had grinned then. "Yeah!"

So he'd made his parents write down the contact details of Eggsy and his parents. He'd written letters to begin with but, after a few months of not receiving any back and not getting any phone calls, Charlie gave up, annoyed that the most important person in his life besides his parents had abandoned him. Of course, with the money and the many holidays and the new, cleverer friends, Charlie soon moved on, mostly forgetting about him.

In fact, he hadn't thought about him very much until his parents mentioned Kingswood when he was home from uni for the Christmas holidays.

"Oh, dear," his mother said as they were sitting at the dining table for breakfast. Charlie who had been mentally organising his studying which he would have to do in the upcoming Christmas period, looked up and grabbed his glass of orange juice.

"What is it?" he asked once he'd swallowed everything down.

"Do you remember, Richard, when we paid off the mortgage on the place in Kingswood?"

Charlie's father nodded. "Yes. Did we ever decide what to do with it?"

"I think we were going to sell it on. We've just received a letter from the bank about it. There's just a few more things we need to do before we completely own the house."

Richard sighed. "I suppose I should get that sorted out soon."

"We still have that place?" Charlie asked, intrigued.

"Yes. Why?"

"Huh. I thought you'd gotten rid of it when we moved. It wasn't exactly... proper, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," his mother agreed, pursing her lips at the very thought of it. They'd had to eat in the kitchen in that old house.

"Hm." Charlie took another sip of his juice. Memories of his time in Kingswood, tinged with nostalgia, prompted him to say, "If you don't mind, I'd like to go down there to have a look."

His parents looked at each other. "You're not going to look for that boy, are you?"

"Of course not," said Charlie, glowering at his breakfast. "I never want to see him again. Hopefully, I can get through the visit without bumping into him at all."

* * *

In order to not draw attention to himself, Charlie caught the train to Kingswood instead of being chauffeured down. The station was decked out in all the trimmings: a big Santa gestured to the exit, welcoming people to the town; a few moving reindeer stood on the platform Charlie disembarked at, their lights shining as their heads jerkily moved to and fro; strings of light hung along the walls and ceiling. When Charlie passed into the main part of the station, he stuck his nose up at the pathetic tree that was pride of place in the middle of it, only a few baubles upon it. He overheard a group of young men considering 'stealing another one' of them and realised that there had been more at one point.

The main street's lights were on as the sky darkened above him. He strolled through it with his rolling suitcase behind him, wishing he'd taken someone with him to pull it for him. People passed him by, glancing at him curiously. All of them were laden with bags and seemed to be hurrying home. Somehow, their chattering seemed almost subdued and was a stark contrast to the cheerful Christmas lights above as they flashed through their sequences.

From what Charlie could remember, there were now a lot of empty shops. It was rather sad to see. Noise came from the pubs he passed. A sad excuse for a club sent thumping music into the air. Rubbish littered the street, cigarette ends and broken bottles spread around the openings of the odd alley. Somehow, Charlie thought the town itself seemed depressed. He was relieved that he hadn't bothered to get a taxi, concerned one of them would try to mug him.

Ten minutes after starting his walk, Charlie suddenly realised that he could see no-one else walking around. He stopped and looked around. There were a few cars moving around but there was definitely no other people about. Something about it made him uneasy. Tightening his grip on the handle of his luggage, he picked up the pace.

Just as he was passing a narrow street – not quite an alley but getting there – he heard a noise. Fear rooted him to the spot. It was such an unnatural reaction that he felt a little disoriented. Without thinking, he turned toward the unknown street and stepped towards it, head cocked to listen for the noise. There it was again, a sobbing sound. Curiosity warred with his caution and won.

"Hello?" he called, taking a few more steps into the street. There were a few wheelie bins hiding the edges of the street from view and Charlie had to move further forward in an effort to see past them. He was soon hidden from the main street as he searched for the source of the noise. "Are you all right?"

The noise stopped. A chill ran down Charlie's spine and he stifled a gasp. Above him, the streetlights flickered. He winced and took another few steps, peering over the bins. At first, he didn't see anything. Then he spotted a bundle of clothes which shifted as he grew closer.

"Hello?" he whispered.

There was no warning. One moment, Charlie was standing, nervously wondering if he could leave without his conscience protesting; the next, he was on the ground, his suitcase hitting the wall nearby. He gave a shout of alarm as he squirmed under his attacker, the person seated on his waist. Frantically, he scrabbled for something to use to hit them or for purchase in order to pull himself away. Whoever it was laughed – at least two others joined in.

"Looks like it's a newby, folks," said one of them, a growling voice sending shivers over Charlie's entire body.

"Turn him over," said a woman – she sniffed once she'd finished speaking and Charlie realised she'd been the one making the noise. He'd been lured into a trap. "Let's see his fear."

"Wait!" Charlie cried. "I-I'll give you money. Or whatever you want! Just- Let me go!"

More laughter. Charlie's heart thundered in his ears, hoping they would have mercy. Footsteps. The weight moved off of Charlie and he tried to rise to his feet, cautious enough to keep his movements slow, just in case they had a gun or something. A kick to his chest, so powerful, he was sure something cracked. In fact, it was so powerful, he flew through the air and landed on top of his suitcase. Rolling off it, he found himself sitting against the wall, his clothes and hair a mess, eyes wide as he stared up at the people attacking him.

A woman in an ankle-length dress, its colour dark under the failing streetlights, stood directly in front of him. Her heels clacked on the ground as she walked closer. When he looked further up, hoping to appeal to her with eye contact, he found that hers were glowing white. His eyes widened at that and she grinned, revealing pointed teeth.

Charlie's heart seemed to stop as he was taken back almost a decade earlier. " _Let's play_!" Eggsy had said. Charlie had wondered what they should play. " _Ryan told me there are vampires 'round here_ ," Eggsy had said. " _So let's play at vampires! You be the vampire and I'll be the vampire hunter_!"

Apparently, Ryan hadn't actually been talking nonsense. There really were vampires in Kingswood. And Charlie was about to be killed by them.

His heart restarted, thundering in overdrive. He tried to back away but, with his back to the wall, all he could do was cower. What was he supposed to do against superhuman foes? Unconsciously, his hands scrabbled for a weapon. One of them nudged his suitcase. He froze as the woman – _vampire_ – drew ever closer.

"Do you hear that?" she said to her companions, two men who hovered nearby. Charlie could see them out of the corner of his eyes. "We'll actually have a good meal for once. Those bloody toffs need to stop hogging all the better ones."

"Yeah," agreed one of the other vampires. "It's Christmas; they should be sharing."

The vampires laughed. Charlie took his chance. Grabbing hold of his suitcase, he swung it at the woman, aiming for her legs. He didn't stay to find out if it had hit her – as soon as it left his hand, he got his feet under him and was running before he'd even straightened.

A single house had passed him by before someone grabbed his collar and jerked him back into a slim chest. Then he was spun around as they turned. He cried out again, struggling, gripping at the man's arm, noting in the back of his mind that this vampire's eyes were glowing red. Sniggering, the man threw him to the other male vampire who grabbed Charlie's wrist, spun him with such force that he couldn't keep his balance and ended up falling backwards – and right into his bear-like grip. It was so tight that Charlie could barely breathe. He kicked out with his legs as the woman began her intimidating slow walk towards him. His hands frantically slapped at the vampire's arms, despite knowing there was very little chance that he'd let him go.

"Help!" he shouted, as loud as he could.

Within a quiet house, a curtain flicked back for a second. Charlie saw the wide eyes of a child before an adult whisked him away, a guilty glance sent his way. The people here knew about the vampires, he realised. That was why there was hardly anyone in the streets.

He was on his own.

"Please," he begged them. "Please don't kill me – I don't want to die!"

"What d'ya think?" said one of the men. "Turn him? Boss'll want more for his army."

"But remember," added the other, an admonishing tone to his voice, "the queen'll want cattle kept for her."

"So," said the woman as she reached the trio. "We'll each have a sip: then he can be taken to the pen." She lifted a hand to stroke his cheek, trailing his fingers down and across his jaw. Charlie shuddered for a different reason, turning red as he saw her smirk. "You're rather handsome, though. I wonder if queenie'll let me keep you as a pet."

The man holding Charlie snorted. "How many pets are ya gonna ask for?"

"I only ask for those-" The female vampire suddenly stopped speaking, her glowing white eyes widening. Then she looked down at herself. Charlie took the chance of looking down and saw something pointed poking out from where her heart would be. Light glinted off it, giving it the suggestion of silver. With a sudden, short scream, the vampire exploded into ashes, the remains fluttering serenely onto the road.

As soon as she was gone, Charlie found himself looking at a man. He held the other end of what now appeared to be a silver stake. The hood of his grey hoodie had been drawn up and over his head. His lower face was covered with a neckerchief or bandana with an orange grin drawn upon it. This combination made his eyes impossible to see but Charlie was under the impression that he was glaring at the vampires behind Charlie. Before Charlie could react, the man darted forward at the same instant that the vampire behind him roared. Charlie felt the vampire bend over, bringing his head closer to Charlie's neck. He had barely cried out before the stake scraped a line of red along the bared parts of the vampire's arms. There was another cry, this one from the vampire, as he dropped Charlie. He landed on all fours and quickly pushed himself up, wondering what he should do; should he help or make a run for it?

Apparently, he didn't need to help. Whoever the man was, he was adept at hand-to-hand combat. He also knew how to handle a stake, the silver point swinging between the vampires until their faces and exposed hands and arms were red from their own blood.

The stranger swept a leg under one of the vampires as Charlie watched while the other one leapt at him. Charlie's saviour dropped down until his arse was on the ground and the vampire flew over the top of him. With a writhing movement, kind of like the 'worm' dance move done backwards, the stranger was soon back on his feet. He lunged with the stake at the one he'd downed before who was back on his feet. That vampire backed off with strange hopping movements: it made him look all the more animalistic. The second one lunged for the man again – Charlie almost shouted a warning when the man abruptly turned and plunged the stake into the vampire's heart. With an angry yell, the vampire exploded into ashes. They obscured the last vampire for long enough that he was already running down the tiny street once they'd cleared from the air.

Calmly, the man reached into his hoodie pocket, pulled out a long, thin contraption, shook it and raised it in the same moment that there was 'shick' noise. Suddenly, the man held an already loaded crossbow. Charlie watched, bewildered and alarmed, as the man took aim. He pulled the trigger. Charlie glanced at the retreating vampire. Whatever had been fired struck him midstep – the vampire burst into ashes.

Silence fell.

"What the fuck," said Charlie, breathing heavily and wincing at the pain in his ribs, "just happened?"

"You're an idiot, is what happened," said a vaguely familiar voice as the man turned. Charlie couldn't place it. "You should know better than this."

"'Know better'?!" Charlie snapped. "I _just_ got here! What kind of a welcome is this? Where's the small town... I don't know, community. Whatever the fuck it is. This is- Fuck."

"You just got here?" asked the man, sounding confused.

"Yes!"

"Why the hell'd you bother to come to this shithole?"

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "I was born here, you wanker."

"Huh. Not the best time for a visit down memory lane, then. You should go home."

"I am," said Charlie, adding an edge of smugness to his tone. "My parents own the house I grew up in now. Well, stayed in _before_ I grew up."

"Well, welcome back. But you should probably leave before you get yourself killed."

"It's too late now! I came by train and it was the last one arriving and leaving."

The man sighed. "Then where's your house? I'll make sure you don't get killed on your way."

"I can take care of myself," Charlie snapped.

The man was silent, merely turning his head towards the abandoned suitcase. Even from where they now stood, Charlie could see that it was dented and probably wouldn't roll again. He'd have to carry it all the way to the house. If he was attacked again... "Okay," said the guy. "I'll leave you to it."

"Fine," said Charlie, grumbling to himself. He took a deep breath, felt the pain, winced, remembered he'd just been attacked by _vampires_ and shakily blew it out again. "I'm up at Holly Crescent," he told the man. His thoughts descended into chaos as he made his way back to his suitcase. _I almost died. What the fuck was that? I need to get out of here. Vampires are_ real _?! How? What the hell is going on? How'd this chav get that much silver?_

"Charlie?" said the man, barely a breath of sound. It cut through Charlie's thoughts and he turned back to him, eyes wide.

"Yes?" he said, cautiously. He bit his lip, surely it couldn't be- Don't let it be-

The man reached up and pulled the hood off before hooking a finger in his bandana to pull it down. There, in all his rugged glory, was a vaguely familiar face. Blue eyes were glinting with anger, brow furrowed. His brown hair was ruffled from the hood. Despite a long cut across one and a bruise on his jaw, the man was very attractive, more so than Charlie had been expecting after the blinding beauty of the vampire.

"Where the hell've you been, Chaz?" Eggsy demanded, folding his arms across his chest. "And what the fuck are ya doing back here, you prick?"

**Author's Note:**

> If this gets continued - or if it doesn't - it would be revealed that Kingsman is a vampire hunting organisation. The vampires are led by Arthur/Valentine (can't decide) while they're second in command is Poppy (the queen mentioned). Charlie would be invited to join and he would. Him and Eggsy would get close.
> 
> Very close.
> 
> Then he'd be turned.
> 
> At that point, POV would change to Eggsy who would be devastated that Charlie's dead. Only to have to fight him...
> 
> Because, apparently, I like angst.


End file.
